Aeroplane.



A. A. SHILLCUTT.

AEROPLANB.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 2, 1912. 1,043,478.

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AEROPLANE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 2 1912.

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APPLICATION FILED MAY 2, 1912.

A. A. SHILLGUTT.

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ALBURT A. SI-IILLCUTT, OF LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS.

AEROPLANE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 5, 1912.

Application filed May 2, 1912. Serial No. 694,682.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBURT A. SHILLOUTT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Little Rock, Arkansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Aeroplanes, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification.

This invention relates to aeroplanes and aims to improve the construction whereby to increase the buoyancy and improve the stability of the machines.

The invention also seeks to provide means whereby descent may be retarded in the event of the disabling of the engine.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings and will be hereinafter fully set forth.

In the drawings; Figure 1 is a side elevation of a machine embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same; Fig. 3 is a plan view of the platform or lowest plane showing the arrangement of the driving and controlling mechanism; Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view.

The platform 1 supports the motor 2, the aviators seat 3 and the mechanism for controlling the several planes, and also constitutes a plane under which some of the supporting air currents play. The ground wheels 4 are hung on the platform and a rudder 5 is arranged in rear of the truck, the rudder being secured to the rear end of a shaft 6 journaled in suitable bearings on the under side of the platform and equipped with a lever 7 extending upwardly through the platform within convenient reach of the seat 3. By rotating the rudder shaft, the rudder may be turned into ahorizontal position when it will have no effect on the machine but by turning the rudder to a vertical position and warping it by means of cables 8 the machine may be steered to either side. The driving shaft 9 is mounted in suitable bearings on the platform and is provided with a pulley 10 which is connected by a belt 11 with a similar pulley 12 on the propeller shaft 13, said shaft being mounted in suitable bearings 13 on the central fixed plane 14 and carrying a propeller 15 at each end. On the inner end of the driving shaft is a transmission or idler wheel 16 which is engaged by the wheels 17 on the driving shafts of twin engines 18 constituting the motor. A lever 19 controls the motor so that if the active engine should become disabled the other engine may be instantly thrown in gear and start to work without any loss of power in the propellers.

The central fixed plane 14 is carried rigidly by a frame consisting of standards 20 and braces 21 rising from the platform and the propellers are arranged in front and in rear of the said plane. Said fixed plane 14 is rigidly secured between the braces 21 and standards 20 and extends over the space between the front and rear braces and side standards. A deflector 22 is arranged at the front end of the platform 1 and extends the entire width of the platform and upwardly and forwardly therefrom in position to receive part of the air currents from the front propeller and direct the same under the platform. The currents, by their action on the platform, aid in supporting the machine and a wind shield 28 may be secured to the deflector at its forward upper edge and extend the width thereof and rearward to about the center of the plane 14 to throw the air currents from the aviator and against the central fixed plane 14, thereby further increasing the buoyancy of the apparatus. Extending across the central plane and journaled in the standards 20 are rock shafts 24 having ailerons 25 secured thereon beyond the standards. The ailerons are braced by struts 26 on their under sides and brace rods 27 extend from the platform to the outer ends of the aileron shafts 24 while crank arms 28 are rigid with the inner ends of said shafts and project rearwardly therefrom. These crank arms are connected by links 29 with levers 30 mounted on suitable supports adjacent the seat 3. By rocking the shafts 24, the ailerons may be tilted so as to cause ascent or descent of the machine and by tilting the ailerons in opposite directions, the machine may be caused to lean to one side and, as a result, sail in a circular course.

The uppermost plane 31 is a rectangular open-ended box like structure pivotally mounted in the upper ends of the standards 20 by a shaft or rod 32 fitted in lugs or brackets 33 on its under side. By being pivotally mounted, the plane may be tilted upward at either its front or its rear end and the machine thereby caused to quickly soar or alight. By providing a large expanse of plane surfaces and two propellers adjacent the same, I direct the propelling force against the planes so efiicaciously that I may dispense with usual preliminary ground run. The plane is tilted by cables 34 secured to its ends and passing under pulleys 35 to a drum 36 on the platform which is operated by a controller 37 As clearly shown in Fig. 1, the top of the box like plane 31 is somewhat longer than its bottom.

To avoid excessively rapid descent in the event of failure of power or otherwise, I provide parachute wings, said wings consisting of supporting frames 39, loosely hung in the eyes 40, on the sides of the boxlike plane 31, at the top edges of the same, the lower ends of said frames being adapted normally to pass through similar eyes 41 at the lower edges of the box like plane, and adapted to have a sliding movement through the eyes 40, and foldable covers 42, having their upper edges attached to the top edges of the plane 81 as at 31, beneath the frames 39, the lower edges of the foldable covers being free. Releasing cables 43 and withdrawing cables 44 are attached to the foldable covers 42 and the frames 39, and extend downwardly after passing around pulleys properly arranged down to the platform. It will thus be seen that a pull on the releasing cables 43 will cause the frames to be lifted from the eyes 41 and drawn upwardly through the eyes 40 and then swing over so that their inner ends as at 39 are at an angle to the top of the box like plane 31 or rest on top of said plane, after which the foldable covers 42 will be drawn from their normal position against the side of the box like plane, inflated by the rush of air thereunder and forced up against the under sides of the frames 39 and will be limited in their upward movement by said frames 39 and re tained extended in operative position, and thus check the descent of the machine. If the withdrawing cables 44 be pulled the foldable parachute wings 42 will be caused to be folded against the sides of the plane, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 4, which is their normal positlon, and the frames with their lower ends depending through the loops 41 will be retained against the sides of the box like plane and hold the wings thus folded until they are again released by pulling on the releasing cables 43.

Having thus fully described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. The combination of a frame, a box like plane pivotally mounted thereon, frames slidably mounted on the sides of the plane and adapted to swing over and partly rest on the top of the plane, flexible covers secured to the upper side edges of the box like plane and retained in posit-ion by said frames, and releasing and withdrawing cables secured to the frames and the covers and extending to the box like plane and clownward therefrom.

2. The combination of a frame, a box-like plane pivotally supported on the frame, a platform in the frame, tilting cables extending from the ends of the plane to the platform, frames mounted on the sides of the box-like plane and adapted to swing over and partly rest on the top of the plane, flexible covers secured to the upper edges of the box-like plane and retained in position by said frames, and releasing and withdrawing cables secured to the frames and the covers and extending to the box like plane and downward therefrom.

3. The combination of a frame, a box-like plane pivotally supported thereon, a platform in the frame, tilting cables extending from the ends of the plane to the platform, a fixed plane on said frame intermediate the platform and the box-like plane, shafts dis posed transversely of said fixed plane, and projecting beyond the sides of the frame, ailerons on said shafts, cranks on the inner ends of the shafts, operating levers below said cranks, and links connecting the levers and the cranks.

4. The combination of a frame, a box-like plane pivotally supported thereon, a platform in the frame, tilting cables extending from the ends of the box like frame to the platform, frames mounted on the sides of the box like plane and adapted to swing over and partly rest on the top thereof, flexible covers secured to the plane and retained in position by said frames, releasing and withdrawing cables secured to the frames and the covers and extending to the box like plane and downward thereon, a fixed plane on the frame intermediate the platform and the boxlike plane, shafts disposed transversely of said fixed plane and projecting beyond the sides of the frame, ailerons on said shafts, cranks on the inner ends of the shafts, operating levers below said cranks, and links connecting the levers and the cranks.

5. The combination of a frame, a box like plane pivotally supported thereon, a platform in the frame, tilting cables extending from the ends of said box like planes to the platform, frames mounted on the sides of the box like frame and adapted to swing over and partly rest on the top of the plane flexible covers secured to the frames and the covers and extending to the box like plane and downward therefrom, a fixed plane intermediate said platform, and box like plane, shafts disposed transversely of said fixed plane and projecting beyond the sides of the frame, ailerons on said shafts, cranks on the inner ends of the shafts, operating levers below said cranks and links connecting the levers and the cranks, a rudder shaft, a rudder secured on the rear end In testimony whereof I have signed my of the shaft, a deflector arranged at the name to this specification in the presence of 10 fronctlend o; tlt e platflorm and ixtendingduptwo subscribing Witnesses. War y an orwar ly there rom, an a 5 Wind shield secured to the forward end of ALBURT SHILLGUTT' the deflector and extending rearwardly and Witnesses: upwardly therefrom, substantially as and A. G. MoGILL, for the purpose set forth. J. W. BARNETT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

